04/02/2012

Taylor Swift, Dunk Contest Winners and The Face

The 47th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards were held Sunday night, and several related topics are trending this morning. It was a big weekend for singer Taylor Swift, won her second straight ACM entertainer of the year award. The 22-year-old was also was saluted by first lady Michelle Obama for her charity work on The Kids' Choice Awards less than 24 hours before that.

Swift's weekend was tempered with a bit of melancholy though, as her date for the award show was unable to attend. Kevin McGuire is a high school football player and Swift fan who has cancer and was too sick to make the show. After hugging her way to the stage to give her acceptance speech, Swift took a moment to say hello to McGuire and his family.

"He's not here but I promised him I would give him a shout out," Swift said of the Somerdale, New Jersey, resident.

Miranda Lambert, Luke Bryan and Eli Young Band are also trending for their big wins, and Reba McEntire and Blake Shelton are as well, as people debate how they did as co-hosts of the show.

In other entertainment news, Aubrey O'Day's antics on Sunday's Celebrity Apprentice is garnering attention after the scantily-clad singer appeared to quit the show at the end.

The 28-year-old, who appeared on Broadway in the show "Hairspray," took to Twitter to quell the rumors, saying "I stay!" She says she just needed a break from the board room and "lol. I went 2 church!"

Ubaldo Jimenez and Troy Tulowitzki are both climbing the charts after the former Colorado Rockies pitcher, apparently still bitter over being traded to the Cleveland Indians last season, plunked the star shortstop and his former teammate on the elbow during a Spring Training game. It was Jimenez' first pitch of the game, and the benches cleared in response.

Rockies manager Jim Tracy called it "the most gutless act I've seen in 35 years in the game, that's what I saw…He intentionally threw at him, he should be suspended. I'll be very disappointed if he doesn't get suspended because he deserves to be suspended."

Next, today is World Autism Awareness Day, which was adopted by the United Nations in 2007. Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that manifests itself during the first three years of life. The rate of autism in all regions of the world is high and it has a tremendous impact on children, their families, communities and societies.

According to new government statistics, the rate is about 1 in 88. That means autism is nearly twice as common as it appeared in data the government gathered 10 years ago. For more information and for a list of events marking the day, visit http://www.un.org/en/events/autismday/.

Sunday was April Fool's Day, and Google's prank - a promo for an 8-bit Nintendo-style version of Google Maps - was one of the weekend's most-viewed videos. The video, seen roughly 3.6 million times, even includes a provision for blowing into the game cartridge.

Another top video is one of the most amazing dunks you'll ever see. During the NCAA slam dunk contest, Martin Methodist College senior James Justice brought down the house (and won the title) with his thundering left-handed between the legs jam. It's much more amazing when you consider the fact that Justice is only 5-foot-10.

Finally, the Alabama University student better known as "The Face" for his cardboard cutout antics at school basketball games is running for student body president. Jack Blankenship announced his candidacy in a funny 3 1/2-minute video. Gotta love that "Rudy" music…